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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. face — to point toward
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. track — to keep track
  5. march — the month
  6. track — a path
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — obliged
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. lean — thin
  14. bound — tied together
  15. march — music
  16. face — to confront
  17. lean — to bend
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bound — certain
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com